Newsletter

Local road projects to go before public hearings

Proposed changes to a list of local transportation improvement projects, scheduled to receive funding over the next four years, will go before public review at two hearings today and next week.

Among the affected projects are one to widen Gwinnett Street and another to replace the Montgomery Cross Road Bridge.

The Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization has proposed changes to the projects as part of its 2013-16 transportation improvement program (TIP).

The public is invited to provide comments at hearings scheduled at 5 p.m. today at the CORE MPO Citizens Advisory Committee meeting and 10 a.m. Wednesday at the CORE MPO Board meeting, both to be held at the Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Commission building, 112 East State St.

A new transportation improvement program for 2014-17 has been delayed due to the Georgia Department of Transportation‘s congressional redistricting process. In the meantime, the current TIP, adopted a year ago, must be re-approved to reflect amendments.

The process is particularly important for projects approved for fiscal year 2013, as the state’s fiscal year ends on June 30. Otherwise they get delayed. TIP projects receive a mix of local, state and federal funding.

Minor revisions to TIP, such as cost changes less than $2 million and timeline shifts within the four-year period without cost revisions, are not required to receive board approval.

The Gwinnett Street improvements initially included widening the street to four lanes between Interstate 16 and Stiles Avenue in anticipation of a city arena, as well as replacing a 32-foot bridge culvert over the Springfield Canal.

In February, plans were revised from four to two lanes with 4-foot bicycle lanes after federal authorities learned the arena project was not finalized, said Thomson.

While the overall project cost decreased, an additional phase resulted in much of the design work being redone and more funds requested by the GDOT project manager, according to CORE MPO. The changes cost $40,000, with $8,000 coming from local funding. The total project is $2.9 million, with 20 percent paid by local funding. Construction is to begin in fiscal year 2016.

Cost overruns and design revisions, which add a project phase, require $140,000 in additional money, said Wykoda Wang, MPC principal transportation planner. The federal government is to provide $112,000, while the remainder is to come from the state. The project, which has no start date, is estimated at $2.9 million, based on a previous design plan.

A list of all proposed revisions to the transportation improvement program can be viewed at thempc.org/transportation.htm.